Contain Yourself

An assortment of candy coloured echeveria for a local plant sale held earlier this spring were snapped up in a day.🍬🍬🍬 People still love succulents for their sculptural interest & low water needs. Tongue shaped leaves make this echeveria cultivar sought after among collectors. Quick-draining, granular potting medium is topped with white sand for a coastal look.

My coconut orchid (Maxillaria tenuifolia) finally bloomed! The scent is intoxicating.🥥🥥🥥 This plant should bloom in early spring but for several years I’ve not had a single flower – UNTIL NOW.🥳🥳🥳 To change things up I decided to place it in the greenhouse a few months ago & I think the higher temps & very bright light combined with high humidity made the difference. Mind you, I like the look of the grassy foliage anyway. Vintage Chinese pot.

If you’re able to somehow over-winter tender plants like agave & sedum – DO IT.😉😘 Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' gains mass each year kept bone dry in a lightly heated cold frame from November to March. The acid yellow margins on the leaves of this collectible Mexican agave make it the undisputed star of every container it lives in. (He don’t play.) Classic urns like this should be planted asymmetrically so that they’re interesting from every angle – but also to mess with their inherent formality. Notice how the agave & unbelievably funky Golden Monkey Tail Cactus (Cleistocactus winteri) are off to one side? These pieces – a seasonal installation for a distinguished client & friend – prove that like fine wine, planted urns get better over time.⏳ The goal with containers in our Zone 5 is to compose tight compositions that are spilling/bursting/glowing by the end of July. Always group plants with the same needs together, but vary the texture. We’re on our way…

Wondering which of your indoor plants can go outside first? Trust your succulents to brave the cool evening temperatures of May.🥶 Kalanchoe thyrsiflora (commonly referred to as ‘Flapjack’) requires gritty, fast-draining soil & strong direct sun. It comes from the grasslands of southern Africa after all. Stress it out this summer (little water & hot direct sun) to make the leaf edges turn bright red.☀️🔥❤️

This morning’s flurries gave me winter flashbacks - & reminded me of this batch of Mammillaria gracilis.❄️❄️❄️ Made as door prizes for a recent work event, this cute mutation with shorter thicker white spines called ‘Arizona Snowcap’ looks like a pile of snowballs.
(Remember when kids were allowed to have snowball fights?😆) Drop your fave Gen X term/phrase in the comments below.⬇️⬇️⬇️

Welcoming spring with a blast of Aeonium ‘Medusa’, showing
off it’s long-lasting leaves in happy hues of violet, coral & lime.💜🩷💚 (No these are not the flowers.) Footed blue pots in sky blue glaze make the perfect home for my nifty telescopic sea flowers. The colour actually intensifies in cool weather! Aeonium (from the Canary islands) love full sun & little water. They are super easy to propagate from stem cuttings (or snappings☺️) & attract attention as the focal point of any container planting.

😁😁😁Happy Succulent Sunday!😁😁😁
(Monadenium ritchiei variegata)